Charlotte's Cheery Christmas Songs!
by gypsy rosalie
Summary: Vendetta is haunted by three ghosts who look suspiciously like Clamburg residents just before Christmas. Can they convince her to change her ways? Sort of a MF version of 'A Christmas Carol'. Please R&R!
1. Vendetta's Christmas wish

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in Making Fiends or the story of 'A Christmas Carol'. They belong to Amy Winfrey and Charles Dickens, respectively.

**Author's notes (IMPORTANT!)**

This is not a crossover as such, just a version of A Christmas Carol using MF characters, as there have been many versions of it with different shows and I am not putting it in the crossovers section because no-one would find it.

**More important: **If you have read or seen any version of Charles Dickens' _A Christmas Carol, _you can skip the following summary and go straight to the story. For those who haven't, here is a brief summary that will help you understand the story better:

* * *

_Scrooge is a mean old miser whose partner Marley died. He hates Christmas and everyone_

_On Christmas Eve he sees Marley's head in his doorknocker then later Marley's ghost, in chains, visits him to warn him to turn over a new leaf or he will suffer the same fate. He says Scrooge will be haunted by 3 spirits._

_The spirits are the ghost of Christmas Past, who shows him his sad past, Christmas Present who shows him the Christmas about to happen and the ghost of Christmas future shows him future Christmases in which he may die. Scrooge learns a lesson from all the visions and becomes a nice person._

* * *

**Chapter One: The Ghost of Charlotte**

_'No, nor did he believe it even now. Though he looked the phantom through and through, and saw it standing before him, though he felt the chilling influences of its death-cold eyes, and marked the very texture of the folded kerchief bound about its head and chin, which wrapper he had not observed before, he was still incredulous, and fought against his senses.'- Charles Dickens, _A Christmas Carol

It was a cold, frosty morning in the town of Clamburg. It was just a week until Christmas, but there was no snow, and there hadn't been in the little seaside town for several years now.

Vendetta had eaten a hearty breakfast of clams, beef jerky and grape punch, and now she and her giant hamster trudged to school, the latter holding in his hands a rattling box tied with a deceptively festive-looking bow. It was the last day of school before Christmas vacation, and in light of this, the evil little green girl had prepared a _special _end of term surprise for her classmates.

'Well, uh, class…' Mr Milk stuttered. 'Since it's the last day before…Christmas break…I thought….' (At this point he shot a pleading look at the small Bulgarian overlord) 'We might make…Christmas cards? Maybe?'

Vendetta scowled.

'No CARDS!' From beside her, Grudge let out a menacing growl.

Mr Milk gave a little cry.

'Oh my! I mean, we're going to read…magazines! Yes! That's right!' At that point, a cheery blue girl skipped into the classroom, sporting a Santa-hat on her head.

'Hi Vendetta!' Charlotte cried in glee as she sat down in her usual seat. 'Can you believe Christmas is only a week away? Yippee!' she burst into song:'_Christmas time, once again_

_Christmas time, yippee, hooray!_

_I hope my Christmas wish comes true_

_And you have a merry Christmas too-_

A book came sailing through the air and knocked Charlotte off her seat.

'Be QUIET!' Vendetta snapped. 'I do not like CHRISTMAS!'

'Tee hee!' the blue girl giggled, dusting herself off and climbing back into her chair. 'Silly Vendetta! EVERYBODY likes Christmas! And look!'

She held out a piece of red card to her scissors bird, who snipped it up with his sharp beak.

'Buttons 2 made you a Christmas card!'

There was only so much Vendetta could take.

'Hamster!' she barked. 'Release the fiend!'

Grudge untied the bow on the box he held, and out leapt a vicious candy cane fiend with a sharp, pointy tip. As it charged, the students screamed and ducked for cover.

Vendetta closed her eyes and enjoyed the satisfaction hideous cries of pain gave her. A smile was spreading across her lips when all of a sudden; she noticed it was very quiet…

When she opened her eyes, there was no candy-cane fiend to be seen, but Charlotte was grinning, her mouth sticky and red.

'YOU ATE MY FIEND!!!!' Vendetta shrieked, shaking her fist at the offender.

'Mm, the pretty candy cane was soooo yummy!' came the reply. 'How did you know, Vendetta, that I love candy canes almost as much as I love gumdrops! I must do something special for YOU!'

Vendetta could feel the rage bubbling away inside her. That stupid blue girl must be stopped!

***

Vendetta trooped home, pulling her green cape tighter around her to protect her from the icy wind that swirled around the town. There was no more school for two weeks, which was a good thing as it meant no more stupid classroom, and no more stupid teacher, but at the same time it meant her reign of terror was in the schoolroom was on hold.

The little girl was still seething from this morning's irritating display, and she was looking forward to cooking up a fiend to destroy that stupid girl once and for all.

But as Vendetta reached for the door handle of her enormous, eerie mansion, she noticed something strange. What was Charlotte's face doing on her doorhandle?

Vendetta blinked and rubbed her eyes. The face was still there, distorted as if it was reflected in the shiny brass handle, but it was Charlotte all right.

But that would mean Charlotte was right behind-

'GUESS WHO!' Charlotte squealed. Vendetta jumped and turned around.

'Charlotte! What are you doing here?'

'I followed you! Teehee!' was the reply. 'Since you gave me that pretty, pretty candy cane, I wanted to give you the best present ever, and make your Christmas wish come true!'

A wicked grin crept across the pigtailed girl's face as an idea came to her.

'Do you _really _want my Christmas wish to come true? Really, Charlotte?'

The girl nodded eagerly.

'Well, I wish… that you were DEAD!!!'

And with that Vendetta slammed the door in her face.

***

'Peace and quiet at last…'

After a stressful day, Vendetta was slouching in her chair, sipping a drink and being fanned by a one-eyed fiend. Just as she was drifting off to sleep, a clanking sound came from the kitchen, as if someone were dragging a very heavy chain.

Vendetta was afraid in spite of herself.

'Who…who's there?'

'Woooooooooooo….Vendettaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…'

The green girl sighed in a mix of relief and annoyance as Charlotte entered, rattling a chain and making an effort to look ghostly.

'I am the ghoooost of Chaaaaaaaarlotte!'

'Argh!' Vendetta tutted, exasperated. 'Go away! And don't come back until you are really dead!'

But Charlotte made no attempt to go away.

'You will be haunted…' she wailed dramatically. 'Haunted by three spiiiiiiirits!'

Vendetta glared at her and the next thing Charlotte knew, Grudge had picked her up and tossed her out.

***

Vendetta had just climbed into bed and turned out her fiend lamp. She yawned and was pulling the covers up around her neck when an eerie gust of wind blew open her bedroom window.

Vendetta groaned and stumbled across the darkened room to shut it, when Charlotte's words came back to her.

_You will be haunted by three spirits…_

Somehow, alone in the dark, the idea of ghosts frightened her, but she would not admit it. She dismissed the notion with a snort.

'Hah! That was just stupid little Charlotte, playing stupid little games!'

Giving the notion no further thought, she climbed back into bed, closed her eyes and drifted off the sleep.

* * *

_Are three ghosts really coming to haunt Vendetta? Find out next week._


	2. Yon Spectre of Ye Olde Christmas Past

Disclaimer: I do not own Making Fiends or any of the characters, Amy Winfrey and Nickelodeon do.

A/N: This chapter contains past versions of Vendetta, which may make it a little confusing. If I am referring to the present Vendetta she is 'Vendetta', and if I am talking about a Vendetta from the past she will be called 'Little Vendetta.'

* * *

**Chapter Two: Yon Spectre of Ye Olde Christmas Past**

'_The curtains of his bed were drawn aside, and Scrooge, starting up into a half-recumbent attitude found himself face to face with the unearthly visitor who drew them'- Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol_

Vendetta tossed and turned in her sleep, Charlotte's words drifting around her head.

'_You will be haunted by three spirits…three spirits…three spirits…'_

A ghostly tapping sounded, and Vendetta sat up in bed with a start, and looked towards the window- the source of the tapping.

There was nothing there but the branch of an old, dead tree, brushing against the glass.

Vendetta turned over and settled back into the blankets.

'The sooner I destroy Charlotte the better,' she muttered. 'How dare she disturb my sleep with stupid ghost stories!'

At that moment the doorknob rattled once, twice, again.

'Argh!' Vendetta leapt up in fright, then regained her composure. 'Charlotte!' she called. 'If that is you, go away and get out of my house, or I will destroy you with fiends!'

The rattling grew louder, and Vendetta dived under the covers as her bedroom door slowly creaked open…

An eerie, purplish glow filled the room, and an oddly familiar voice called

'Be this the home of yon fiend-maker?'

Vendetta sat up at once, thoroughly annoyed. 'What! You are not a ghost! You are just Malachi! Go _away_, and stop pretending to haunt me, or I will unleash fiends on you!'

But Malachi, glowing unusually, and with a wreath of holly in his hand, made no attempt to leave.

'Ah,' said he, in his Elizabethan lilt, 'I only be-eth Malachi in yon real-life, this be thine dream, and I come to thee as yon Spectre of Ye Olde Christmas Past. I hast come to show thee visions of thine life, so thou mayest…'

'FIENDS!!!!' Vendetta screeched. 'Attack him!'

A group of vicious guard dog fiends charged into the room, razor teeth bared, but as they drew near to Malachi's violet glow they yelped in fright and sped off in the opposite direction, howling.

Vendetta was shaking with rage. 'Leave me alone!' she snapped. 'Stop glowing in my house!'

'Thine fiends cannot stop me,' Malachi insisted, and as he did so Vendetta felt a little shiver go through her, as the horrible realization dawned on her that he was right.

'I hath been sent to take thee hence, to yon world of thine past!' As he spoke the window blew open, and both children began to rise into the air.

'What is going on?!' Vendetta demanded as the y began to float towards the window. 'Return me to my room this minute!'

But her protests were ignored as the pair sped through the deserted streets of Clamburg, toward a great white light.

'What is that horrible glare?' Vendetta asked as it loomed closer and closer.

'Tis the light of thine past,' the Malachi-spectre replied as they hit the light. Vendetta wailed and put her hand over her eyes, expecting to be consumed by the fiery glow but instead she found herself drifting down toward snow-covered ground, and a place she knew all too well.

'What! Why are we here?' She looked up questioningly at Malachi, who was perched atop a sign that read _Muffin Elementary School._ It hadn't been called that for such a long time- the sign had been chewed to pieces by a giant cat some five years ago. But that meant…

'We really _are_ in the past…' Vendetta marvelled. 'And it's…snowing!' she scooped up a handful of snow, fondly remembering past winter days, when she had pelted her classmates with snowballs. Since she had taken control of Clamburg, it had stopped snowing, and she found now that she had missed the cold, white ice…

'Cometh hence,' the Malachi-ghost instructed, hopping down off the sign and heading towards the school. Vendetta, scowling at being ordered around, trudged after him. They walked on past room one, two, three, four, and turned a corner, they were heading for the back of the school, where Kindergarten and the older grades worked.

As they walked, Charlotte noticed a tall, pale, bespectacled man heading toward them.

'Look!' Vendetta observed aloud, more to herself than anyone else. 'It's that stupid teacher!'

And indeed, it was Mr. Milk, looking quite cheerful, and with a head full of hair. 'Ah, Mr Gumpit!' he called out in a rich, strong tenor voice, and dashed past the time-travelling children to catch up with his friend.

Vendetta looked after him, confused. 'He didn't even notice us!' she remarked.

'True, for he be but a shadow of what was, no soul here canst see or hear us!' Malachi said as they stopped outside the Kindergarten room.

Pushing open the door, Vendetta stepped inside the room, breathing in the nostalgic atmosphere. A second later Malachi had joined her, entering through the wall. A group of schoolchildren were colouring in Christmas cards, while a plump, mint-green teacher smiled as she supervised.

'Now, my little ducklings,' Mrs Minty began. The children looked up from their work. 'It's only a few minutes until home-time, and then it will be Christmas vacation!'

The class cheered.

*

Half an hour later, Vendetta was still in her old classroom, watching the scene.

There was only one child left- a small, green girl with pigtails and Bulgarian accent.

'Now, Vendettata,' Mrs Minty said, patting Little Vendetta on the head. 'Little buttercake, where are your parents? Aren't they coming to take you home?'

'I don't know,' Little Vendetta said sadly, sighing. 'They are probably still at work. They care more about work than they do about me.'

Mrs Minty was unsure exactly what to say.

'Well…that's…nice, dearie,' she said at last, retreating to her desk and absorbing herself in a knitting magazine.

Vendetta felt her heartstrings twisting as she watched the sorry sight, remembering how it felt to be ignored and forgotten…

*

It was getting dark- the sun was setting outside and Little Vendetta was still at her desk, her head rested on her hand, waiting in vain for her parents. Mrs Minty had long gone, after half-heartedly reassuring the small girl that her parents would be back soon, and now Little Vendetta was all alone.

Vendetta suddenly realised what happened next…

The door swung open and a slender, sixteen-year-old dark green girl came rushing in.

'Veronica!' Vendetta called, but Malachi hushed her.

'Yon maiden heareth thee not,' he reminded her.

'I thought Mother and Father might have forgotten you,' Veronica said in a thick Bulgarian accent, putting her arm around Little Vendetta's shoulders. 'I came as soon as they got home and I saw you weren't with them!'

The sisters walked hand in hand out to a lime green sports car, and hopped in.

'Let's go home,' Veronica said to Little Vendetta as they drove away.

Vendetta sighed.

'Ah, my sister,' she murmured. 'The only one who ever cared about me…'

'Come' commanded Malachi from by her side. 'There be-eth more to see!'

*

The landscape around them became very blurry, they were spinning fast and the next thing Vendetta knew they were in her own house. Vendetta beheld herself, six years old, crouching on the end of her plain bed and shaking from head to foot.

Judging by Little Vendetta's age and the time of year, Vendetta supposed this was about a year after the last vision.

'Veronica just _has _to be alright' Little Vendetta said out loud, but her little hamster just continued eating and her fat, red cat just yawned, curled back up on her pillow and continued to snooze.

Vendetta realised with horror that this was just after the car crash….

Little Vendetta climbed off her bed and crept down the stairs. Her parents were at home for once, sitting in the living room.

'So irresponsible,' Viktor, her father was saying. 'Veronica knew we had important sales conferences coming up, and she thoughtlessly went and got herself put in hospital…'

The phone rang.

'Hello?' Violetta, her mother answered. 'Is that the hospital? Yes, I see. Thank you. Goodbye, dearie.'

Violetta hung up and turned to her husband. 'Veronica didn't make it,' she said, not a hint of remorse showing in her voice.

Viktor groaned. 'Oh, _perfect, _we'll have to take another day off for the funeral!'

*

The next thing Vendetta knew, she was in the Clamburg cemetery. The guests were heading off home, but the younger version of herself remained behind, leaning on the coffin and weeping.

'Oh, Veronica!' the small girl wailed. 'What will I do without you? How can I live with no-one to love me?'

Vendetta felt hot tears running down her cheeks. She turned her head, so that Malachi wouldn't see.

Her vision became blurry again, as the vision changed.

She was back in her house. Little Vendetta was sitting on the foot of the stairs, while her parents fussed around with paperwork.

'At this rate, with all these days off, we'll never catch up!' Viktor grumbled.

'I know, dear,' Violetta agreed, 'This is so inconvenient! Why couldn't Veronica have waited until _after_ our conference to die?'

Vendetta felt like screaming with rage and pain, but was beaten to it by her younger incarnation.

'You don't even CARE!!' Little Vendetta screeched, jumping up. 'You don't even care that Veronica is dead! You don't care about anyone but yourselves!!!'

'Vendetta, dear,' her mother hushed. 'The grown-ups are very busy right now…'

'I hate you!!!' Little Vendetta shouted, storming out the house. 'I hope I never see you AGAIN!' she slammed the door as hard as a six-year-old was capable of, and ran off down the path.

By this time Vendetta was sobbing uncontrollably. 'Let me go home now!' she ordered Malachi. 'I don't want to see any more!'

'Mine time be not over yet,' Malachi insisted. He waved his hand and the scenery changed again. 'There still be more visions yonder…'

*

It was a stormy afternoon as Little Vendetta ran down the hill, not caring where she was going. Vendetta watched as her past self charged through the woods, tripped and fell. It was then that the small girl noticed and eerie green light coming from a tree hollow. The little girl reached inside and pulled out a large, battered box with the words _Fiend Mix_ inscribed on the side, and a chunky instruction book.

'What is this?' the child thought aloud, sitting down and studying the items carefully. After a while, a malicious grin spread across the little girl's face, and she let out a wicked laugh.

'With this power, they'll never ignore me, never forget me again! Heh heh heh heh!'

The next few visions came swiftly, one after each other- Little Vendetta dumping her cat into a bowl of potion and watching it grow, feeding her hamster a glowing concoction and beholding it morph into the loyal servant she had today, shrinking her parents with a shrinking slug and triumphantly locking them in a cage…

The last vision found Vendetta watching from a rooftop as her younger self climbed up onto a high building and announced herself to the town as its new leader, before unleashing an army of beasts upon them.

'Oh my!' Mr Milk quivered, running his hands though his hair and finding that a huge chunk fell out.

'My buttered stars!' Mrs Minty exclaimed.

Little Vendetta cackled wickedly.

'I've HAD ENOUGH!' Vendetta shouted to Malachi. 'I do not want to see any more visions! Take me home! NOW!!'

With a click of his fingers, Malachi brought them back to the present time, and Vendetta's room.

'I stayeth not, 'tis blasphemous,' Malachi said. 'Yon second spirit approacheth!'

And he was gone.

Vendetta stood, shaken for a while, and then climbed back into bed. 'I do not want to see any more spirits tonight,' she muttered, pulling the covers up around her neck. All of a sudden, a bright light came streaming in from under the door. Vendetta knew it was the second spirit, but had had quite enough of hauntings- she was still very upset at having her dreadful memories of her sister's death awakened.

A faint arrow materialised, and pointed to the door, flashing.

'Go AWAY!' Vendetta shouted, but it persevered, and the green overlord knew she had no choice but to go and see.

Tiptoeing nervously to the door, Vendetta took a deep breath in anticipation of what lay on the other side, and slowly turned the handle…

_To be continued…._


	3. My, me? A ghost?

Disclaimer: I own neither Making Fiends nor A Christmas Carol. They belong to Amy Winfrey and Charles Dickens respectively.

**A/N**: **(Helpful!) **In this chapter there are also multiple versions of Vendetta, so to avoid confusion, the main Vendetta is simply called Vendetta, and the one in the visions is written in italics (_Vendetta)._

* * *

**Chapter Three: My… me? A ghost?**

'_The moment Scrooge's hand was on the lock, a strange voice called him by his name, and bade him enter.' Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol_

Vendetta opened the door cautiously, and stared in awe and shock. What had happened to her hallway? It was filled with bright Christmas decorations, tinsel and candles that twinkled, and atop a large throne sat a small boy, dressed in a robe that was far too big, and dwarfed him entirely. On his lap sat a heavy book, and around his head was a garland of holly.

'You!' Vendetta barked, pointing at the boy. 'Are you the spirit who Charlotte said was coming?'

'My- me? A ghost?' Marvin said, perplexed, before opening his book (a manual entitled _'How to be a ghost of Christmas Present'_) and flicking through it.

'I mean…yes. My name! Is the Ghost of Christmas Present. Come in and know me better, man! I, I mean girl! I mean….'

Seeing the glare on Vendetta's face at being called 'man' and 'girl', he panicked a little and hastily changed the subject.

'My… uh, you have never seen the like of my- me before, have you?' Marvin read from his instruction manual.

'Yes!' Vendetta replied. 'Of course I have seen you before! You are stupid Marvin, pretending to be a ghost!'

'My manual! Says I'm supposed to take you on a tour of Christmas Present, as in, the Christmas that will be happening this year, I mean…'

Vendetta groaned. 'Stop your stuttering, and show me your visions, NOW! Get it over with, or else I will set my fiends on you!'

'My goodness!' Marvin exclaimed nervously. 'Just let me check my…my manual…'

Vendetta tapped her foot impatiently as the rather incapable ghost flicked through the book. 'Ah, here it is! Mr robe! Touch my robe!'

'Why do you think I would want to touch you?' Vendetta snapped, but she reached out hesitantly and touched his sleeve.

There was a bright flash, and Vendetta saw that they were in downtown Clamburg. It looked just like Clamburg on any other day.

'Why have you brought me here?' she demanded. Then she realised. 'Why are all the shops closed?'

'My manual! Says you have to watch,' Marvin insisted, pointing as if he had a clue what he was doing.

Vendetta saw herself, not her younger self but herself as she was now, marching angrily up to the giant pet supplies store, Grudge by her side.

'How dare you close the shop!' _Vendetta _snapped to Mr Gumpit, who was locking up and preparing to go home. 'Open it at once! My hamster _wants food!'_

'But…but it's Christmas day!' the man protested, shaking from head to foot.

'NO EXCUSES!' _Vendetta_ shouted. 'I do not like Christmas! Open the shop NOW! Unless, of course, you want me to send a fiend to open it for you…'

Mr Gumpit, teeth chattering, fumbled with his key in the lock and opened the door. _Vendetta_ and Grudge stormed past him, smashing him against the wall with the door in the process, and began raiding the shop, whilst the nervous shopkeeper began to cry.

*

'There is more to see!' Marvin quoted, and the scene changed, to the garishly blue living room of Charlotte's house. The room was even more hideously bright than usual, with liberal amounts of Christmas décor covering every surface imaginable. All the children from Vendetta's class were there, save Vendetta herself, standing around sipping eggnog. Charlotte skipped around, topping people's glasses and singing Christmas carols in her usual, annoying voice.

'What!' Vendetta found herself saying. 'How dare they have a Christmas Party and not invite me!' She found the Marvin-ghost staring at her, and hastened to add 'not that I CARE!'

'Merry Christmas, everyone!' Charlotte squealed, raising her glass high in the air. The others returned the festive greeting, and even gloomy Maggie was smiling.

'Now a TOAST!' Charlotte continued. 'To my beeeeeeeest friend in the whole world, Vendetta!' The smiles instantly faded off the children's faces, Malachi shuddered, Marion hid under a table. Just the mention of the green girl's name sent a thrill of fear through the room.

'Unfortunately she couldn't be here,' Charlotte continued. 'But she did say that she hates us all! Isn't that nice of her! Tee hee!'

Vendetta growled at the blue girl's stupidity, when suddenly the door was kicked open, and she beheld herself standing there, grinning wickedly.

'I have come to your stupid party,' _Vendetta _said. 'And I have brought a special Christmas present for you all. Heh heh heh heh!' she cackled, then turned to Grudge.

'Hamster! Bring in the fiend!'

There was the sound of a rope snapping, and a vicious reindeer charged wildly into the room, teeth bared. The children screamed (all except for Charlotte, who stood there grinning like an idiot) and dived for cover as the beast romped about the house, smashing through walls and overturning furniture. As the chaos ensued, _Vendetta_ and her loyal hamster left the room.

Standing by the Marvin of Christmas Present, Vendetta heard the other version of herself sneer 'That will teach you to have stupid parties!' before the flash of light ensued and the vision changed.

*

'But… they were all so happy…' Vendetta said, astounded. 'And I ruined everything….I mean, serve them right! Stupid party-makers!' She then looked around at her surroundings. It was her own house, and some of the fiends were rebelliously dancing around and celebrating in their own way. Aww, how sweet, Vendetta thought. No, wait! Why were they defying her in this way! What was it about Christmas that made everyone so wretchedly happy?

She heard her own voice from the other room. 'Fiends!' it called. 'Be quiet in there!'

The fiends stuck their ugly little tongues out in the direction of the door, then continued their party, a little quieter than before.

'Such blasphemy! They will not get away with this!' Vendetta growled, running up to the creatures. 'Stop celebrating AT ONCE!' they took no notice, it was if she hadn't spoken.

'Uh…chapter 8 of this book says these are just shadows of the present, and they can't see you…'

Vendetta glared at him. 'I have had enough of these stupid VISIONS! I do not want to see all these people being happy at Christmas! It makes me SICK! Take me home, and LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!'

Marvin looked a tad confused. 'My…I'm sure I'm supposed to do one thing more before I go… oh, here it is…'

After consulting his trusty instructions, without which he surely would not have been up to the job of Ghost of Christmas Present, he opened his ill-fitting robe to reveal two ragged children.

Vendetta gasped. They were children she knew all too well- Marion and Mort, to be exact, but they were thinner and more sickly-looking than she had ever remembered them, and they were looking at her with a hungry expression that made Vendetta a little frightened, and she wanted to bat them away with a broom.

'What is this?!' she demanded.

'My children! Represent…' Malachi paused to turn the page… 'Ignorance, and want. They symbolise the dangerous follies of man…'

'Explain PROPERLY!' she snapped.

'Uh… they are supposed to represent…how dangerous it can be to… be cruel and selfish…' Marvin said uncertainly.

'But…what is wrong with them?' Vendetta asked, looking at the eerie expressions on their faces. Marion and Mort crawled out from under Marvin's robes, and started to inch towards her, drooling and laughing deliriously.

Vendetta started backing away. 'Argh! Get them away from me! Hamster! Fiends!' But there was no-one coming to her rescue. 'Help! Help me!!!!'

*

Vendetta opened her eyes. The devilish incarnations of Marion and Mort were gone, as was Marvin. There was nothing around her but darkness and silence.

The little green girl thought back to what she had just seen.

'Am I really as horrible as all that?' she asked aloud to no-one in particular. 'They were all having fun, and I ruined it…' At this point Vendetta realised that she was showing compassion, something she tried to push out of her mind, but this time it just sat there, and there was no escaping the fact that she actually felt sorry for the other Clamburg residents.

A whistling, whooshing sound came from behind her, and Vendetta turned. Something was materialising behind her, something dark and cloaked, and distinctly…ghostly……

* * *

To be continued.

A/N: This chapter was quite hard to write, so I hope it was alright. Also there were moments, I'm sorry to say, where Vendetta was a bit OOC but the whole point of a Christmas carol is that Scrooge is supposed to change…


	4. The future looks bleak to me

Disclaimer: I do not own Making Fiends or A Christmas Carol. They belong to Amy Winfrey and Charles Dickens, respectively.

A/N: Once again to avoid confusion, current Vendetta is referred to as Vendetta, and future Vendetta is _Vendetta._

* * *

**Chapter Four: The future looks bleak to me**

'_The Phantom slowly, gravely, silently approached. When it came near him, Scrooge bent down upon his knee: for in the very air through which this Spirit moved it seemed to scatter gloom and mystery.' –Charles Dickens, 'A Christmas Carol'_

Vendetta watched the cloaked figure as it made its way towards her, so slowly and fluidly it appeared to be floating. To say Vendetta was not scared would be just a little untrue, and even though she knew that all the ghosts so far had been children from her class, the silence and unnerving rhythm of this spirit made her shiver.

As the ghost strode into view, its face was illuminated by the moon, and Vendetta gasped as she recognised the figure.

'Maggie!'

Of all the students in Vendetta's class, Maggie was the one she was most afraid of, although she would never admit it. There was always something sinister about her, and dark, and she was not scared as easily as the others. She wasn't obliviously obnoxious to the horrors of the fiends, like Charlotte, but she was grim and often appeared as though her thoughts were far away, like She-Who-Had-Seen-The-End-Of-Time. In ghost form, she was, well, rather frightening to Vendetta.

'Are…are you the Ghost of the…Future?' Vendetta asked.

Maggie gave one slow, pronounced nod. Her silence unsettled Vendetta further and she was not even tempted to call her fiends. But as they stood in silence, a silence which grew longer and longer and more unsettling, the little green girl's courage began to return to her.

'Aren't we going to see any VISIONS?' she demanded of her ghostly escort. 'Hurry it up; the night isn't getting any younger!'

Maggie outstretched a hand and pointed to her right.

'Why will you not _speak to me?!'_ Vendetta insisted, trying to act as if Maggie's silence just annoyed her, rather than scared her.

Then Maggie did speak, and Vendetta wished she hadn't asked her to. She spoke with the voice of a foreteller; she spoke in a solemn tone with an underlying sense of dread.

'The future looks bleak to me. I see death, and paaaaaaaaaain. You will suffer, suffer greatly, yes, I see your destruction, your very _undoing_…'

'Alright, alright!' Vendetta squeaked. 'Enough! Just show me your visions!'

Maggie pointed again, and Vendetta walked cautiously forward in the direction instructed, until all of a sudden she found herself on the streets of Clamburg.

*

But wait- this couldn't be Clamburg, could it? It was thriving, and sunny, and the people were…HAPPY!!! And there was not a fiend in sight! This couldn't be the future!

'Are you sure you've brought me to the right place?' Vendetta asked, but Maggie just continued to point, and the Bulgarian girl decided she wouldn't push it. She didn't want to hear that awful ghostly moan with which Maggie spoke again, so she watched. Mr. Milk was striding down the street, smiling broadly. As he went, he stopped to greet Mr. Gumpit, who was whistling as he swept the pavement outside his shop.

'Afternoon, Milk!' Mr. Gumpit called. 'Isn't it a fine day?'

'Oh, yes!' returned Mr Milk with enthusiasm. 'What a…wonderful day in…December! It's a day we will….long remember….'

At this he burst into song:

'_Because nobody is going to be dismembered!_

_It's a wonderful wintry day!_

_There's no snowmen, no pretty lights_

_No hot chocolate, no snowball fights,_

_But there's also nothing here that BITES!_

_What a wonderful wintry day!'_

Next thing Vendetta knew, townsfolk were emerging from everywhere, joining in the song and laughing.

*

The vision changed and Vendetta watched in horror as the townsfolk of Clamburg surrounded her giant statue and roped it. Heaving and grunting, they pulled on the ropes and walked back, pulling the statue over as they did so. They cheered as it crashed to the ground and shattered.

'I feel just a little bad about acting this way, considering what happened,' she heard Mrs. Millet murmur to a friend, 'But then that little girl was so awful I guess it kinda balances it out!'

'What is going on?' Vendetta wondered aloud. 'And where are my fiends? Why aren't they stopping this act of mutiny?'

Maggie turned, her arm now stretched like an arrow towards a side street, and Vendetta obediently went to have a look.

A small group of weak, feeble looking fiends were struggling along the road, with each step another one slumped to the ground and Vendetta observed that this street, and indeed several other streets, were littered with the corpses of fiends. The sight brought tears to the green overlord's eyes as she watched her creations losing their grip on reality and will to live one by one. Then the scene before her blurred and changed.

*

She was standing outside her own green mansion, and judging by the sun's position in the sky, Vendetta had the feeling that, though they were still in the future, they were in fact going backwards in time. On the doorstep, sick-looking fiends were collapsing like flies. Maggie indicated the open door in a sweeping gesture, and Vendetta, concerned about what she might find, stepped inside. The living room looked exactly the same as it always had- there was her couch, her television, her stack of _Mean _Magazines, for a moment Vendetta thought that nothing had changed. But then she remembered the dying fiends, the sunny weather, the townspeople tearing down her statue, and she felt compelled to go upstairs and take a closer look.

On her bed, Vendetta saw herself, looking a very pale shade of green. _Vendetta's _green glow was gone, and she embodied the pallor of someone at death's door. She looked older, fourteen or fifteen perhaps, and at her bedside sat Charlotte, grinning like an idiot.

'Don't worry Vendetta!' Future Charlotte was saying. 'I'm sure that pony didn't mean to scratch you, and soon you'll be back to normal!'

_Vendetta _groaned. 'I know my life is connected to the fiends,' she wheezed, 'but I am wanting my life to expire. I'm suffering. I want to be rid of this tiresome life. Charlotte…I just want you to know…I….hate you….' She closed her eyes and was silent.

For possibly the first time in history, Charlotte's usually cheery face turned downwards into a frown, and tears formed at the corners of her eyes. 'Vendetta? Vendetta?' Charlotte began to shake her frantically. In the hall a fiend fell to the ground.

*

Vendetta was crying freely now.

'I don't want to die!' she cried out to Maggie. 'How could this happen?' The Ghost of Christmas Future waved her hand and time seemed to run backwards again, and the next thing Vendetta knew she was in her kitchen.

_Vendetta _had her fiend mix set atop the counter, and her fiend instruction manual open to the very last page.

'This will be my greatest creation yet!' she was saying. 'A fiend that will destroy not only Charlotte, but the whole of Clamburg! Heh heh heh heh!'

Vendetta leaned over her future self's shoulder to get a look at the recipe. It read:

_Giant Dragon Fiend_

and below it was a set of instructions.

_Vendetta_ cackled as she added the last ingredient, and a red mass of slime crawled out the bowl and began mutating on the floor. Within seconds, a vicious, fire-breathing monster had formed, and it was growing rapidly. With a great roar, it leapt into the air, smashed through the roof and rose into the sky.

_Vendetta _climbed onto the roof of her house, avoiding the large hole created by the dragon, and faced the citizens of Clamburg, who were cowering from the great beast in terror.

'Attention, Clamburg!' she announced. 'I have created a fiend that will destroy you all! Especially you, Charlotte!'

A 'yippee!' sounded from the crowd. _Vendetta _ignored it and cleared her throat. 'I have become fed up with…' she began, but was cut off as the dragon screeched and swooped down, knocking her off the roof with its massive claws as it went. _Vendetta _screamed as she fell to the ground. The dragon flew off towards the sea, crashed into a cliff and sank. Future Charlotte pushed through the crowd, who stood, agape and confused.

'Vendetta, are you ok? Are you having a nap?'

_Vendetta_ was bleeding and mangled, and it appeared that at least one of her legs was broken.

'So that's how it happened…' was the first thought that came to Vendetta's mind. The second was 'I can't have died! I don't believe it! I won't believe it!' she turned on Maggie. 'This must be a fake vision! I do not believe you!'

Maggie sighed heavily and waved her hand.

*

One last vision lay before her. She was in Clamburg cemetery, in the middle of the night. A cloud was covering the moon, and in front of her was a solitary tombstone.

'I don't want to read the name on that stone,' Vendetta said, the fear and panic in her voice evident. 'Isn't there any way to stop this happening?' Cautiously she crept up to the grave, and burst into tears as she read the inscription:

_Here lies Vendetta_

_One time wicked overlord of Clamburg_

_May her untimely death remind us never to be selfish or cruel,_

_And NEVER to dabble in the black arts_

'Can't this be _changed? _'Maggie remained silent. Vendetta fell to the ground, clutched the ghost's robe as she begged 'PLEASE tell me I can change this! Please! PLEASE!'

She continued to sob. Maggie stared at her in pity for a minute, then waved her hand and began to disappear.

'Maggie, WAIT! Come back!' Vendetta screamed. 'HELP ME PLEASE!!!!' But she was gone, and everything had gone black.

_To be continued…_

* * *

Has Vendetta _really_ learned her lesson? What is she going to do? Find out next chapter.

A/N: Only one more chapter to go! Sorry if this chapter was a bit nasty to poor Vendetta, but Scrooge had to learn the hard way.


	5. It can still be changed!

Disclaimer: I do not own Making Fiends or A Christmas Carol. They belong to Amy Winfrey and Charles Dickens, respectively.

A/N: Last chapter!!! Warning: a few OOC moments for Vendetta.

* * *

**Chapter Five: It can still be changed!**

'_Yes! And the bedpost was his own. The bed was his own, the room was his own. Best and happiest of all, the Time before him was his own, to make amends in!'- Charles Dickens, 'A Christmas Carol'_

Vendetta opened her eyes. Could it be? She was at home, entangled in her bedclothes. Could the whole thing have been a dream? For a moment the Bulgarian girl sat still, slightly shocked, then as it dawned on her she leapt into the air for joy.

'It was just a dream! I'm not dead! The future could be changed! It can still be changed!'

She ran to the window and threw open the blinds for the first time in years, squinting slightly as the bright morning light streamed into her musty bedroom. She looked out at the grey streets of Clamburg.

Malachi was creeping past, looking wary as he saw her house looming in the distance.

'Malachi!' Vendetta thought. 'The Ghost of Christmas Past!' she called out to him.

'Malachi!'

The purple boy jumped in fright. 'What…what dost thou want of me?'

Vendetta realised that Malachi wouldn't know anything about her dream, in which he had appeared as Christmas Past. She quickly thought up another question.

'Er…what day is it?' A somewhat pathetic cover-up, but it was all she could come up with. The boy stared up at her, confused. 'Why…it be ….yon first day of yon vacation of the Christ-child!'

'It's not even Christmas yet…' Vendetta mused. 'I've still got time to make this the best Christmas season Clamburg has ever seen!'

'Hamster! We've got work to do!' she called cheerfully into Grudge's bedroom, sliding down the banister and rushing into the kitchen. Today, however, Vendetta was not mixing one of her usual fiendish concoctions. She stirred the white mixture and watched as it settled into clumps before placing it in her freezer.

'Now to wait until it's finished…' as she sat back in her chair, the shrill sound of her doorbell sounded.

Vendetta opened the door to a familiar face.

'GUESS WHO!!!' The blue, cheery face of Charlotte smiled up at her. 'I thought I'd invite myself over to your house to PLAY!!!'

Vendetta could feel the anger boiling inside her at the annoying little girl, who'd turned up unannounced, but remembered her new plan and calmed. _Be nice, smile at her…_she forced her face into a wide grin that stretched her jaw. _This will be worth it in the end…_

'Charlotte…come inside…you're just in time for my Christmas surprise…'

*

Later that morning, the two girls strolled through the streets of Clamburg. It was still a grey day, cloudy and with no snow or sunshine, but there was something lighter in the atmosphere that day.

'Morning, everyone! Merry Christmas!' Vendetta called, waving to the astonished townspeople as they passed. People began murmuring in surprise. What had happened to Vendetta? Had she…_changed?_ Perhaps this town would become a better place, already the store owners were thinking of possibilities…pet supplies for _normal sized pets, _food stores and restaurants that sold more than just clams and onions, and a school where children _learned _things!

By the green girl's side, Charlotte skipped along, singing one of her songs:

'_Christmas time, once again_

_Christmas time, yippee! Hooray!_

_I hope my Christmas wish comes true,_

_And you have a merry Christmas too!'_

They were climbing up the giant statue now, Charlotte holding in her arms a pot of pink paint. Vendetta gave her a signal, and Charlotte proceeded to paint a bright smile over the once scowling face of the stone overlord.

Vendetta, standing atop the head, cleared her throat.

'Attention, Clamburg! I have had a most unusual dream that has given me an idea. I have decided to make this the best Christmas Clamburg has ever seen!

Reaching into the bowl of mixture she had brought, Vendetta proceeded to toss the white substance she'd made earlier into the air. She had been inspired by her trip to her past, and now, after years of dry winters, it was snowing in Clamburg!

The people cheered as the frosty white droplets fluttered down from the sky. 'It's snowing!' 'Vendetta's finally had a change of heart!' 'This is going to be the best Christmas ever!'

Charlotte scrambled up to join her. 'Oh, Vendetta! This was such a great idea! You made it snow! And that was my Christmas wish! If only I could make _your_ Christmas wish come true!'

Vendetta's smile changed. Her eyes narrowed just a little as she remembered her harsh words, and her vocal desire for Charlotte to die. 'Oh, don't worry, Charlotte,' she whispered. 'It will, just you wait and see…'

Charlotte's grin widened. 'Yippee!'

They turned back to watch the snowfall. Down below people were laughing, playing, reaching up to try to catch the little snowflakes. But as the flakes came closer, the smiles and laughs soon disappeared, and were replaced with frightening gasps. Each flake sported a wicked face with sharp fangs. The little snow fiends hissed, and as they touched the ground they transformed into miniature snowmen fiends, complete with icicle swords. Everyone screamed and scattered, fleeing for their lives as they were pursued by the mean green fiend maker's latest creation.

'Should've known that wasn't for real!' someone said.

'Aww!' Charlotte cooed. 'Those little snowmen were soooo cute! What a great idea!' she proceeded to throw her arms around her 'friend' in a hug.

Vendetta shuddered and backed away. 'Get off me, stupid little girl! It's time for my Christmas wish to come true!'

It was a simple plan, without the use of a fiend that might turn on her, but it was very effective. Shoving with all her might, Vendetta pushed Charlotte off the top of the statue.

'Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!' she heard as the blue girl fell.

'Well,' Vendetta smiled. 'Perhaps this _will be_ the best Christmas I ever had after all!'

As she climbed down into the now empty street, she heard an annoying voice.

'Vendetta! Look at me! I'm swinging from your pretty, pretty elbow! Whee!'

Vendetta gasped as she looked up. 'Argh! Charlotte! Why are you not dead?' Charlotte was holding on the giant statue's arm, swinging back and forth, and singing

'_Pretty, pretty preeeeeeeeeeety, Vendettie dittie diiiiiiiiiiitie….'_

The pigtailed girl scowled and stormed off home. Well, so much for her Christmas wish. But as she walked through the door, she remembered something else that had happened in her dream.

Flipping through her fiend instruction manual, she turned to the last page. Sure enough, there was the fatal recipe:

_Giant Dragon Fiend_

Vendetta may not have learned her lesson from her visions, but if there was one thing she had learned, it was that she would never, ever, ever use that recipe. That way, she could expect to live a long time, and have a long, terrifying reign.

'I will never, ever use this,' she said, taking out a black pen and putting a cross through the page. She stared at it. Beneath the cross she could still make out the recipe. Considering, she tore out the page and fed it to her trash can fiend, who shredded it, shredded the pieces and swallowed them. Just in case she ever got tempted……

_Once there was a little girl, a girl who could make fiends_

_She kept the whole town terrified, the girl who could make fiends_

_Then there came another girl, who wanted to be friends_

_Vendetta cannot stand her, so she plots her end_

_Making fiends, making fiends,_

_Vendetta's always making fiends_

_Making fiends, while Charlotte makes friends_

_Once that mean green little girl, she had the strangest dream_

_Three ghosts, they came to change her, to stop her being mean_

_Next morning she decided, she might try being kind_

_But Charlotte, she annoyed her, so Vendetta changed her mind_

_Making Fiends, Making Fiends,_

_Vendetta's always making fiends_

_Making fiends, while Charlotte makes friends!_

* * *

_A/N: _Well that's the story. Sorry, all you people who wanted Vendetta to learn her lesson and change her ways, I'd kinda planned this ending right from the start. Please don't think badly of me, I'm all for changes of heart in real life.

Merry Christmas everyone!


End file.
